Home is Where the Heart Is
by mrmrsmister
Summary: Anna's journey through high school, where she learns to deal with boys, Elsa and her own insecurities. Anna P.O.V. (mostly) and Highschool A/U Sisterly Elsanna
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hey all! This is my first foray into fanfic writing after a couple years of just reading. Likes and comments are greatly appreciated. Enjoy! And I don't own Frozen.**

 **-MMM**

Chapter 1

The sound of "Uma Thurman" pierced through the quiet morning. From within a cocoon of blankets, an arm emerged, blindly reaching for the vibrating phone. In her attempt to reach the device, she knocked it from the nightstand.

"ACK," Anna exclaimed, rolling over in an attempt to try and catch her phone. Unfortunately, she overbalanced, rolling off the bed, blankets and all.

"Who needs to go to school anyways?" she mumbled, extracting herself from the tangled mess of blankets and bed sheets. Plodding towards her dresser, she grabbed a random T-shirt, jeans and underwear and made her way towards the shower. Quickly jumping in, she began humming to herself.

Minutes passed and Anna could faintly hear the second alarm she had set for herself to control her shower time. Loath to leave the warmth of the water, she nevertheless walked out, grabbing the fluffy towel on her right. Quickly dressing, she raced down the stairs to the sound of a honking horn.

"I'm coming!" Quickly grabbing a Pop-Tart from the box, she grabbed her backpack, sprinting out the front door towards Kristoff's waiting truck.

"Hey there Feistypants, senioritis getting to you again?" Kristoff greeted her as she stepped into the passenger side.

"Morning Reindeer boy, and of course not. I'm offended you would even think that," she retorted.

She turned to look behind her: "Morning Sven!" He smiled and waved.

The drive to school was not a quiet affair. Anna spent the entire ride dancing (which consisted of wiggling in the seat) and belting along to the radio. Kristoff shook his head and laughed. As they pulled into the parking lot, the shrill sound of the 5 minute bell could be heard.

"Gogogogogogo we're gonna be late!" She sprinted out of the car, braids and backpack flapping behind her. Kristoff merely chuckled, grabbing his bag and made his way towards the school. Anna burst through the school doors,almost knocking over some poor freshman as she quickly rounded the corner towards her first class. She had no qualms leaving Kristoff behind since they didn't share any classes till after lunch. As she approached her class, her beaming smile faded into a slight quirk of the lip.

 _Ugh school. I mean, it's not that bad i guess. Except calc. Calc is like dark voodoo magic. And it sucks that I don't have morning classes with Kristoff and Sven. I guess daydreaming alone in the back it is._

Pushing her negative train of thought to the side, she huffed. "Come on Anna, stop being such a downer." Taking a quick fortifying breath, she pushed into class, sat down, and promptly began to daydream. She knew she needed to pay attention, but Mr. Weselton's voice was at the perfect monotone pitch to minimize focus. Each page of notes in her math notebook began with the date and a few formulas which quickly dissolved into random doodles across the page. The pattern was repeated throughout the morning. But despite her focus issues, Anna was not a bad student. She managed straight B's relatively easily. So when the lunch bell finally rang, Anna could not help but utter a sigh of relief. She made her way to the cafeteria, where Kristoff and Sven were already sitting at their typical spot at the corner table.

"Hey Kristoff! Hey Sven!" she waved as she approached. Sven waved back, taking a bite of his sandwich at the same time.

"Hey Anna. How was class?" Kristoff replied.

"Fine, and eww Kristoff, finish chewing first," Anna wrinkled her nose in distaste as she took a seat. "Nothing interesting happened. Didn't even get to see if the rumor of Weselton's toupee is true or not."

"Were you paying attention at all?" Kristoff smirked, to which Anna huffed and bit into her sandwich.

"Of course I was. I'm a good student! I'm not disruptive. I don't pass notes!"

"That's because you spend most classes asleep or daydreaming," he retorted.

"Humph. Who asked you anyways Kristoff. I'm just here to talk to Sven." After sticking her tongue out at Kristoff, who snorted, "mature as usual."

She turned to Sven. "So? How was your morning?"

Sven shrugged, shaggy hair bouncing with his shoulders.

"The usual, huh?"

He nodded.

Any further conversation was cut off by boisterous laughing from the table in the center of the cafeteria.

"Man I don't like those kids," Kristoff grumbled. "Walking around like they own the school." Sven nodded in agreement.

As the center table occupants got up to leave, Anna could not help but catch the eye of their ringleader, Hans Christiansen. In her starstruck daze, she did not notice the vicious gleam in Hans' eye or the fistbumps and money exchanged between his entourage. Being the school quarterback, the majority of the school worshiped the ground he walked on and hung onto every word he said. Anna thought he was cute. As they walked past her table, Hans stopped.

"I swear I would have noticed a girl as pretty as you are by now. What's your name?"

"Who, me? Wait, I'm the only girl here. Of course you mean me. Ack stop rambling Anna!" She could feel the blush rising in her cheeks. "I'm Anna" was the mumbled follow up. Hans laughed.

Both Kristoff and Sven pulled the same grimace, as if Hans' smile was physically repulsive. Anna attempted to give both the stink eye between her fawning over Hans.

"Anna huh? A pretty name as well. We should get a coffee sometime, get to know each other."

"Yeah yeah, alright buddy, we get it. You think she's cute. Now get outta here." Kristoff muttered. Sven continued to glare at Hans.

"Shhhh Kristoff, you're being rude." Anna whispered back. "Sorry about him," she said as she turned to fully face Hans again. "He's just jealous."

Kristoff could only gape at Anna, much to her amusement. The boys' reactions throughout the exchange had been equal parts hilarious and annoying.

Hans laughed again. "Don't worry about it. I'll catch you later," shooting Anna a charming smile as he walked away.

After Hans and his group left, Anna could only stand in disbelief for several seconds. Finally, she turned her attention back to her forgotten lunch and sat down. "Kristoff. He noticed me! Hans, the school god! He noticed ME!" Arms flailed about in her excitement.

"Woah there, calm down Feistypants…"

"I mean, he stopped and said hello! His hair was so perfect..."

"First off, he just said hello. Second, I don't like him."

"And those sideburns, wait what? What do you mean you don't like him? What don't you like? He's so handsome!"

Kristoff sighed as Sven shook his head.

"Anna, he's been at this school since we were freshmen and just noticed you. You don't think that's suspicious? Come on, he's a sleaze."

"Humph. Just cause he's more popular with the ladies than you are is not a reason to dislike him."

To which both Sven and Kristoff gaped and glared respectively. "We're just looking out for you. Hans, well, he doesn't have the best reputation. "

Anna smiled. "I know, ya big lug. Don't worry. I'm a big girl. I can look out for myself. I'm home alone now, remember?" The bell started ringing. "Hugs then class!" she yelled as she reached over the table and embraced the two bigger boys.

"Anna, we have the same classes now. You do know this, right?"

"So? I wanted a hug. Sheesh. Some people."

Sven chuckled. Kristoff just huffed and pulled a face. The trio made their way towards class, taking their customary seats in the far corner of the room. When Hans and his friends walked in, Hans waved at Anna, causing her to excitedly wave back. Kristoff rolled his eyes, muttering "typical".

Thankfully for Kristoff's sanity, Hans and Anna didn't interact the remainder of class, nor did they share any more classes for the rest of the day. The last few hours consisted of the trio's usual actions: sleeping, doodling and attempting to get the others in trouble, though no teacher would believe them when they tried to blame Sven.

Finally, the final bell rung and school was released. Anna quickly stuffed her papers and books into her backpack indiscriminately. Throwing the bag over her shoulder, she turned to the boys.

"You guys ready to play Mario Kart?"

"I didn't know you were so eager to lose again."

"Kristoff, last time we played, you were last every time."

"Lies."

The smack talk continued as they made their way towards the parking lot. Laughing, they piled into Kristoff's truck. The drive to Anna's was uneventful save for repeated attempts to teach Sven how to dance in the car while belting Shakira lyrics at the top of her lungs. They pulled into the driveway and quickly piled in through the front door.

The three were well rehearsed in this routine. Thursday Throwdowns (Anna's own idea) were tradition. Sven moved to turn on the TV and Wii, Kristoff grabbed the controllers and plopped onto the couch, and Anna raided the pantry and fridge for chips and sodas. Tossing each of the boys a can, she settled onto the couch, opening a bag of chips as she sat. The familiar sounds of Mario Kart started and the three were quickly lost in the game.

"Man, remember when Elsa would play with us? Back when we were just freshmen? Holy crap those 4-player races were killer." Kristoff mused. "Isn't she coming home soon?"

"Ummmm yea. Super soon. Though she hasn't been the same since she left for college. She's barely come home for the past three years."

"She's probably just busy. You know how it is, over-achiever and all. I mean, she was super competitive at this. Always had to be first. Do you guys not text or anything? Facebook stalk her?"

Anna pointedly refused to make eye contact.

"I-I would never facebook stalk someone! And definitely not my own sister! And we do text sometimes. Elsa just isn't that into the whole texting thing. It 'interferes with her schoolwork' apparently." Anna added air quotes for effect.

"You are quite the distraction. It's the only reason you win any races anyway," Kristoff teased.

Anna snorted.

"I mean, it helps that you lose every single race on your own. I'm pretty sure you always have a blue shell."

Kristoff opened his mouth to retort, but the green shell smashing into his cart made him quickly reassess his priorities, and he fell silent to focus back on the game. The house was quickly punctuated with accusations of cheating and threats as everyone's competitive streak was roused. The final race was, naturally, on Rainbow Road. As they each began their final lap neck and neck, Kristoff "accidentally" pushed Anna, causing her to swerve off the stage. In retaliation, Anna whacked Kristoff with a pillow, causing him to fall off as well. Sven ended up the winner, grinning triumphantly at the two from the far end of the couch.

"Yeah, yeah, suck it up. You only won cause Anna's a cheater."

An indignant screech followed. "Excuse me? I'm a cheater?! _You're_ a cheater."

The two continued their bickering until Sven noticed the time, reached across and tapped Kristoff on the shoulder.

"Oh geez, we gotta get home in time for dinner."

"Come onnnnn. You guys, at least stay for a little longer?"

"Ma will throw a fit if we're late again. Or don't even show up. That would be even worse. 'Sides, isn't Elsa coming home today? Eat with her!"

Anna's grin suddenly felt artificial, though the only visible difference was a slight falling of the corners. "I guess," she whispered. She quickly recovered, though only Sven noticed. She waved his concerned look away.

"Humph fine. I don't want to eat with cheaters anyway."

Grinning at Kristoff's sputtered indignation, she walked them both to the door and waved them off.

"See you tomorrow, bright and early!"

"Ugh, don't remind me, you stinker!"

As the truck faded from her line of sight, Anna's smile slowly fell. She heaved a sigh. She turned back to the living room, picking up the cans and empty chip bags, tossing them into the trash. As she cleaned, she berated the two even though they weren't there.

"How dare those two stinkers. First Kristoff cheats, then leaves all this trash here. What a slob. The nerve of that guy. Calling me a slob. What a hypocrite."

Knowing that Elsa was coming home did little to soothe the Anna's troubled mind. Rather, it exacerbated her worries.

 _Maybe tonight, Elsa won't be so busy._

With that optimistic thought, she decided to stop fretting. Flopping back on the couch, she turned on the TV, mindlessly flipping through the channels. The sound of the garage door opening broke Anna out of her TV-induced haze. She sat up straight, waiting for Elsa to walk in. The sound of the door opening and closing and the distinct clatter of keys landing in the dish only served to make Anna more nervous. As Elsa turned the corner, Anna could not help but jump to her feet.

"Hey! Welcome home!"

"Hi Anna."

The non-committal tone of her voice caused Anna's heart to drop but she pressed on regardless, struggling to maintain her happy facade. She couldn't help but anxiously wring her hands together.

"S-Since Mom and Dad are still on that cruise, I was wondering if you wanted to make dinner together?"

Elsa kept walking throughout the conversation, one foot lifted above the first stair step when Anna asked. She paused for a moment and, without turning around, said, "not tonight, Anna, I have work I need to get done. Maybe some other time."

Anna's body seemed to curl in on itself at the rejection.

"Oh okay. Yeah I know you're probably busy with university and stuff and it's all kind of really important so I don't mind..." Anna continued to rambled, trailing off as Elsa continued to climb up the stairs.

Her hands would not stop trembling so she put them behind her back.

"Make yourself something, I'm fine." The sentence was punctuated by the sound of Elsa's door closing gently.

Once the door shut, Anna's smile, which had become strained, vanished. Suddenly, neither the TV nor dinner sounded appealing. She grimaced. "I guess it's takeout again tonight."

The quiet of the house felt oppressive as Anna called for Chinese, her small voice dwarfed by the overwhelming silence. She quickly pulled up Pandora on her phone, not caring what was playing. Anything to fill the space and help her ignore the fact that she was alone in the house. Well, mostly alone. Anna never forgot to count Elsa even if she felt like she wasn't there. But tonight, she may as well have been completely alone.

Dinner was a rushed affair. Not wanting to spend an extra minute in the quiet emptiness, Anna ate quickly, throwing the container and plastic utensils away and quickly bolted up the stairs. She slowed as she passed Elsa's door. Raising a hand, she tentatively knocked.

"Umm, well I'm going to go to bed soon, so I guess, um, goodnight, Elsa."

"Goodnight, Anna."

Anna paused, waiting, hoping for something else, anything else. When there was no further response, she sighed quietly and continued to her room, her pace much slower, drained from her interactions with Elsa. Entering her room, she quietly shut the door. Turning on the lamp on her desk, she pulled out various, crumpled assignments, which were quickly finished. In an attempt to stop thinking about Elsa's rejection, she turned to the Internet. But the distraction only lasted so long. After an hour, she sighed. Anna turned off the lights and shut down her computer. Quickly changing into her pajamas and brushing her teeth, she flopped into bed.

From her open door, she could see light from Elsa's room. Even the little sign that Elsa was a presence in the house was reassuring. But with the reassurance came the ever-present reminder that Elsa had more important things than her baby sister. Anna shook her head. No bad thoughts. Not now. Turning on her side, she focused on the picture on the nightstand. It was the entire Arendelle family posing at the local ski resort. The whole family was smiling, but Anna could only focus on Elsa, arms wrapped around Anna, goofy smiles on both of their faces. Filled with happy memories of the past, Anna finally fell asleep, mind distracted from the loneliness of her present.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Hello again! I just want to say thank you to everyone for taking the time to read it. And a big thanks to followers/reviewers. I didn't really expect any thanks! Anyways, upwards and onwards! (Again, don't own jack).**

\- **MMM**

CHAPTER 2

From the moment she woke, Anna felt it was not going to be a good day. In her haste to shut off the alarm, she made the mistake of looking at the photo on the nightstand. All of a sudden, the self-doubt from last night came flooding back.

 _Today is gonna suck so much. Elsa's probably already gone and school is never fun. And I didn't even get to hang out with her last night. Not that it's her fault. She's wonderful. I didn't think yesterday night through properly. Of course she'd be busy... Stupid Anna. Think about Elsa next time instead of being selfish._

Anna huffed and turned off the radio.

Her morning routine was the same as before: showering into breakfast into Kristoff's car. However, rather than her usual dash to the passenger seat, she leisurely strolled. At Kristoff's confused look, she merely stuck out her tongue.

"Change of pace."

"I'll say."

"Humph, chauffeur, I don't pay you to sass. Drive. Our destination awaits." Anna stated in her best posh voice.

As they set off, Anna couldn't help but think of Elsa. She didn't even her sister this morning. No sign or sound from her room. Elsa might as well have disappeared. Meanwhile, Anna's path out the front door meant she did not know if Elsa's car was still in the garage. Even if Elsa mostly ignored her, she still cared about her sister. She was her first friend. Anna couldn't even remember much of her initial childhood. What she could remember was the front of the orphanage where she spent the first six years of her life.

 _Everything seemed blurry and distorted until she met Elsa. Her adoptive parents, Adgar and Idunn, had come to pick her up. She remembered walking towards their car, hands clutching her small stuffed snowman. They opened the passenger door, and the first thing Anna saw was blue eyes staring back at her. Anna ducked her head in equal parts embarrassment and shyness. Then, a sweet voice broke through her fretting._

 _"Hi. I'm Elsa. I think I'm your new sister."_

 _Anna looked up._

 _"R-r-really? You wanna be my sister?"_

 _Elsa smiled in response._

 _"Of course. That's why you're coming with us, silly! Come on! We're gonna be best friends!"_

 _Anna's face split into a wide grin._

 _"Yay! Let's go play!"_

Anna could not help but smile at the memory. Kristoff leaned over the center console and bumped her with his shoulder.

"Feeling better now? You looked kinda glum for a bit there."

"Yeah I'm fine."

But both Kristoff and Sven noticed the way her grin felt stretched and artificial. The two boys made eye contact. Anna noticed.

"What? I said I'm fineeeeee. Humph. What's the world coming to, that a girl can't be grumpy once in a while?"

Sven threw his hands up in surrender. Kristoff tried to placate her.

"It's fine Feistypants. It's just that normally you're super excited about Friday. Ya know? Like end of the week, time to party 'it's Friday, Friday, gotta get down on Friday' sorta thing?"

"Ewww don't ever say that again. Or try to sing. Even Sven is better than you."

By the time they got to school, Anna was giggling. It still felt forced, but her two goofball of friends had helped immensely.

 _I guess fake it till you make it does have some use after all._

The rest of the day was normal, except for another encounter with Hans at lunch. He sauntered up, customary smile in place. Seeing his approach, Anna tried to psyche herself up.

 _"Alright, you can do it. Just don't ramble. Yeah, short sentences. But what if he thinks I'm rude!? So then normal sentences. But I can't do normal sentences. Imagine it's Kristoff. Ewww gross. Oh my gosh, even my thoughts are rambling..."_

Anna was broken out of her fretting by the sound of a throat clearing.

"Oh h-hi there Hans." Anna attempted to look nonchalant but only succeeded in looking more flustered.

"Hello Anna, how are you this fine afternoon?"

Anna couldn't suppress the blush in her cheeks.

"I'm good. Yeah, really good. How about you? How are you I mean."

Kristoff and Sven, much to Anna's annoyance, both grimaced.

Hans either did not notice or ignored the two.

"So I realized yesterday that I didn't even give you my number. How could we schedule a date if I can't even call you? I can be awfully forgetful sometimes."

Anna could not help but swoon a little. "Oh don't worry. I make mistakes like that all the time. Well maybe not all the time. Just sometimes. Oh right! My number! Do you want me to tell you? Or I can just enter it into your phone myself? I mean it's up to you."

Hans chuckled. "Just enter it in. Here."

Anna quickly typed in her phone number before handing the phone back.

"Thanks. I'll call you about our date tomorrow! I'll see you around, Anna."

She watched him go with a blush and smile on her face.

"FINALLY he's gone. If he stayed here any longer, I swear."

"Kristoff, be nice! Sven is nice, why can't you be?"

They both looked at Sven, who let his hair cover his eyes to avoid eye contact with both, dodging the potential argument.

"Look, I don't like him. I know you think he's cute, but he's just gonna hurt you. I want you to be happy, but I'm trying to look out for you! You're like a sister to me."

Anna's stern expression softened.

"You're just a goofball. I'm a big girl! I'll be okay!"

As she turned to go to class, she couldn't help but hear Kristoff whisper to Sven, "I hope she knows what she's getting into."

Self doubt began to creep into Anna's mind, bringing up old insecurities.

 _Come on Anna. It'll be okay. Hans wants to hang out with you. Kristoff is just being dumb. I mean, he's been nothing but nice so far. He asked ME out. Well, almost. But it means he wants to spend time with me!_

Feeling somewhat relieved, the rest of the day passed uneventfully, albeit better than expected. She wasn't completely miserable and managed to laugh at Kristoff's antics.

Today, however, Kristoff and Sven had to care for their younger siblings, parting ways with Anna right after school.

Elsa didn't come home either.

Anna spent her Friday night alone.

The next day, Anna awoke to the sound of her phone ringing. She sleepily reached for her phone.

"Hello?" she mumbled.

"GOOOOOOOOOOOOOD MORNING SLEEPYHEAD!"

"Ahhhhh!" The phone flew from Anna's hand, landing amongst her covers. Fully awake, she bolted upright and angrily reached for the phone.

"KRISTOFF YOU BIG, LUMBERING, OAF! I just woke up and you yell in my ear. I could be deaf! Maybe I'm already deaf. What if I can't hear anymore huh? What then?"

She was quickly cut off.

"Hey hey hey, calm down feistypants. Sorry sorry. Sheesh. Just having a good time. Anyways, we are still hanging out today right? You didn't forget?"

"..."

"You forgot didn't you."

"Ha, of course not. I was just testing you."

"Riiiiiiiiiight."

"I require a tribute of chocolate first, since you deafened me."

"...Fine."

"Yessssssss. Anyways, yeah I'll see you in an hour. Now I gotta go shower and tame my hair. Byeeeee. Phone hug!"

Anna hung up before she could fully hear Kristoff's answer. Jumping out of bed, she rushed through her morning routine. As she sat down to her breakfast, her phone rang again. Without looking, she answered.

"What now, Kristoff?"

"Oh, this is Hans."

Anna's blush was immediate.

"Oh, h-h-hi Hans! Sorry Kristoff called me earlier today so I thought it was him. Not that you two sound the same. I'm just a klutz. I should have checked my caller I.D. I mean I have it so I should use it right?"

 _Holy crap Anna, stop rambling. Just tone down the whole Anna weirdness thing._

Hans laughed, much to her relief.

"You probably should. But I was calling to ask, are you are free today to get coffee this morning?"

Anna muffled the excited squeal in her hand.

"Yeah! We should totes go! Where are you thinking?"

"How about Oaken's?"

"Yeah! I love that place! They have the best hot chocolate. Like actually the best. It's addicting."

"Haha I'm sure Anna. So I'll see you in an hour?"

"Yeah sure!"

The moment Anna got off the phone, she could not stop herself from jumping for joy. "Yes yes yes yes yes yes yes. Whoooooo! I am the bomb! Oh wait. I should let Kristoff know." She quickly whipped out her phone and sent him a quick text.

 **Anna:** Hey I cant hang out

 **Reindeer Boy** : wait what? why not?

 **Anna** : Hans asked me to a coffee date :D :D :D

 **Reindeer Boy** : -_- dont go. hes an ass

 **Anna:** Okay you gotta stop. Hes been nothing but nice and youre just being mean

 **Reindeer Boy** : i cant believe youre ditching us for him

 **Anna** : Its just one time! Im not gonna apologize. Be a stinker then!

Anna pocketed her phone with a huff. Why couldn't Kristoff just be happy for her? She felt her phone vibrate but was in no mood to continue talking with the burly boy.

 _I mean, what does he know? He's just jealous. And rude. And mean. I mean, I just want him to be happy for me. Like Hans is talking to me. ME! I see those two all the time anyways. I need to think of what to wear to this date anyways. WAIT WHAT AM I GONNA WEAR? All of my clothes are too simple! Gogogogo Anna. Time to prepare!_

The panic of getting dressed pushed most of Anna's other thoughts aside. But doubt still remained in the back of her mind. She sprinted into her room and flung the closet door open. She pushed various T-shirts aside, some falling to the floor in the process. Anna began to quickly sort through the dresses.

 _Why do I own so MANY clothes? Hmmm how about this black one? Nope, not a funeral Anna. What about the orange one? Ewwww makes my freckles look bleh. White? I don't think the stain from last time is completely out yet… Green? Yeah that green one with the flower patterns looks pretty good._

Looking down at her phone, Anna realized that she was running out of time.

"Looks like it's the green one! Come on let's go Anna!"

She slipped into the sundress and, after a second, decided to go with her typical braids. Running to the garage, she hopped onto her bike and made her way towards Oaken's. The door chimed merrily as she walked in.

"Yoo hoo! One of my favorite customers ya? How are you today, Anna dear?"

Anna could not help but laugh.

"Hi Oakan! I'm good! How are you?"

"Not bad ya? Busy day."

"Isn't it always? Your drinks are so good! Especially the hot chocolate. Speaking of which, can I have one?"

"Of course! You find a seat dear. It will be right out. You get comfortable ya?"

Anna giggled and waved as the man squeezed his way into the kitchen. Finding a seat next to one of the windows, she sat and waited for Hans to arrive. Barely any time had passed when Anna spotted him, alerted by the telltale chime of the bell. Her hand shot up, frantically waving to get his attention. When he noticed, she could not repress the dreamy sigh at his charming smile.

"I hope I didn't keep you waiting too long?"

"Not at all. Like not even five minutes. Do you know what you want to get? Oaken's hot chocolate is legendary. You should get some!"

"I don't know Anna, I don't have much of a sweet tooth. I think I'll just settle for a coffee."

Anna could not suppress a gasp.

"You don't like chocolate?"

"Not really. It's too sweet for me."

"Hans! I mean, to each their own I guess. No judgment." Anna coughed nervously, embarrassed by her outburst.

The date passed in a blur. Before she knew it, she had gone through 2 cups of hot chocolate and had no doubt made a fool of herself multiple times. But Hans was his charming self and was awfully kind through the whole thing. He even paid for both of her drinks. They parted ways with Hans promising to call her soon. The entire bike ride home, Anna could not keep the dorky smile off of her face. Saturday turned out to be much better than expected, and much much better than Friday.

 _Hans turned out okay. Actually, better than okay. Yeah, much better than just okay. Kristoff was wrong! Hans is a nice guy. I have to tell him! Kristoff I mean. And hopefully he won't be mad at me anymore. I really hope not. I'll make it up to him tomorrow! I'll call him and we'll hang out and everything will be alright._


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Oh man oh man. More followers. Even though it's only 6 6 that's more than 0. And that's pretty cool. Y'all are fire. Keep killing it. Oh, and I changed the description, though I still think it's kind of garbage, but oh wells. Don't own jack. Also, R.I.P. Alan Rickman and David Bowie.**

- **MMM**

CHAPTER 3

Everything did, in fact, turn out okay. More than okay, actually. Anna and Kristoff apologized, the former for abandoning their usual hangout time and the latter for generally being rude to Hans. They still disagreed about the guy but Kristoff would hold his tongue for the time being for Anna's sake. After resolving the conflict, the week went well. Actually, the school week was one of the best Anna had in awhile. Besides her usual antics with Kristoff and Sven, she would occasionally see Hans and the boy would be his usual self. He began holding her hand, occasionally kissing her as well. Throughout the day, she would receive flattering texts from Hans, compliments and the like. Everytime she received one, Anna could not help but giggle and blush. Kristoff and Sven would both quietly huff but kept their mouths shut. It was the happiest Anna had been in a long time. Even her loneliness at home seemed more bearable with both Kristoff and Hans to entertain her. It wasn't until Friday that Anna's world shifted dramatically.

The day had started normally. Classes were boring. Kristoff and Sven were goobers. Hans was handsome. It wasn't until she heard her name over the school intercom that she began to feel nervous. Being called to the office was never a good thing. Both Kristoff and Sven were quick to reassure her.

"Don't worry 'bout it. I bet it's nothing." Sven nodded along, long hair flopping. "I mean, remember last time you got called down? You got to leave school early!"

Anna couldn't help but smile at the memory.

" _Anna Arendelle, please come down to the front office."_

 _Anna sniffled. Her cold was just the worst._ "Who goes to school with a fever and runny nose anyway," _she thought. It was just a recipe to being miserable. She was sure that there was some conspiracy between the school and her parents._

" _Hey feistypants, maybe you'll get to go home. It could be your parents."_

" _Ha yeah right. Mom forced me to come to school today. There's no way I would get to leave early."_

" _Hey, ya never know."_

 _Anna huffed, grabbing her backpack and plodded her way to the office, sniffling the entire way. Opening the door, she was surprised when she saw Elsa. She immediately bounded over._

" _Heya Elsie. Did they call you down too? Are you in trouble?"_

 _Elsa giggled._

" _No silly. I'm taking you home."_

 _Anna gaped._

" _What?! Mom and Dad said it's okay?"_

" _Shhhhh. What they don't know won't hurt them. I'm sneaking you out."_

 _Anna couldn't stop the wide grin._

" _You're the best Elsie!" Noticing the look from her sister, she sheepishly smiled. "Quiet. No yelling. Right. Heh. Whoops."_

 _Anna eagerly watched as Elsa signed the required forms. The moment she finished, Anna grabbed her arm and began rushing out the doors._

" _Whoohoo. School's out! I'm freeeeeeeee!"_

" _Alright calm down there Anna. You're still sick remember?"_

" _It doesn't feel so bad anymore. You must be magical or something. I just feel better around you!"_

 _Elsa smiled._

" _Glad to hear it Anna. Let's get home. I'll make you some soup and we'll watch TV."_

" _Okay! Race you to the car!"_

Reassured by the memory, Anna waved the boys goodbye.

"Alrighty, I'm off. Bye you two! Be good and stay in school!"

Anna made her way to the office, grabbing her backpack as she left. She was taken aback by the sight of Elsa standing next to the reception desk.

 _I wonder what Elsa is doing here. That means it must be kinda serious. Well maybe not. I mean last time wasn't. Okay Anna, play it cool. Yeah cool. I can do that. Just don't embarrass both of us in public. Or don't embarrass Elsa at least. Remember, no yelling._

"Hey, weird seeing you here Elsa. What's up? Why are you here?"

 _Yeah super casual. Way to go Anna! High fives all around._

Elsa's sharp tone pierced through her thoughts.

"I'm taking you home, Anna."

"W-what? Why? I'm not sick. Elsie, am I in trouble? I promised it wasn't my fault. Whatever it was. Honest!"

"I'll tell you when we get home."

Anna could clearly tell something was wrong. Elsa refused to look Anna in the eye. Furthermore, she was being evasive. Or more evasive that normal. And she didn't even smile at "Elsie". That was the real travesty in Anna's eyes.

 _I doubt it's that bad. Elsa's always been a worrywart. I'm sure everything will be okay. And I get to leave school early!_

Anna shrugged.

"Let's go then!"

The pair made their way towards Elsa's car. Anna hopped in and moved to turn on the radio.

"Not right now, Anna. I'm not in the mood."

Anna huffed.

"Fine. I don't get why you're such a grump right now. What's wrong?" Concern was evident in Anna's voice.

"I'll tell you later Anna. I already told you that."

"But why can't you tell me now? Something is clearly wrong. You're acting all weird. Not that you're weird. You're perfect…"

Anna slowly trailed off. Elsa was silent, eyes focused on the road.

"Fine. I guess we'll both be grumpy."

The car ride back home was a tense affair. Anna refused to stop pouting, while Elsa pointedly ignored her. Halfway, Anna just couldn't take it anymore. She needed something, either the radio to distract or to elicit a reaction out of Elsa. She fiddled with the radio and the sound of classic rock started blasting through the car. Elsa immediately slammed her hand against the dial, silencing the squealing guitar solo. Anna turned, mouth open, about to yell, when she noticed that Elsa's eyes were glossy. Anna could not suppress the small gasp. She turned away and meekly sat back in her seat, eyes downcast.

Elsa never cried. Ever. To see Elsa in such a state sent Anna's mind into overdrive. The rest of the trip was spent in a deafening silence. Even the noises around them seemed to mute themselves. Anna could feel her anxieties mocking her as the ride dragged on. The tension was suffocating. She tried to make as little noise as possible, but every breath she took seemed extraordinarily loud.

 _I don't understand. Why is she this way? What could have possibly happened? I didn't do something wrong did I? Stop it Anna, it's not about you. It… It's never about you. Something must have happened to Elsa. But what could possibly make Elsa cry? Did she fail a test or something? Did I distract her? Mom and Dad will be furious! Is it about Mom or Dad? No way, they're on vacation._

It seemed as though they stopped at every single light - traffic was conspiring against them. Finally, _finally,_ they made it home. The car doors sounded like cannons as the two wordlessly made their way inside. The garage door was just as loud. Just when the silence had settled, Elsa spoke.

"Sit down, Anna." Elsa's tone was firm, but Anna could hear a slight waver in her tone.

Anna sat down on the couch without a complaint, sensing that now was not the time to argue. She could not stop nervously wringing her hands. Elsa remained standing, facing away from Anna, staring at the wall. Her back was rigid, arms crossed in a defensive posture. The light atmosphere from the usual Mario Kart competition became heavy and oppressive.

"I don't really... I know… You won't believe me… Um…"

Elsa seemed to stumble over her words. Her gaze remained fixed on the wall. Anna noticed Elsa angle her body away from her.

 _She's purposely not looking at me. Why wouldn't she look at me?_

Anna interjected. "What is it Elsa?"

"There was an accident. With the cruise ship. It sank. Mom and Dad… didn't survive."

Her eyes went wide, mouth open in disbelief. Collecting herself, she attempted a weak laugh.

"You must be joking. Elsa, that's not funny." The sound felt grating in her ears. She tried to reach out but her arms fell limp by her side.

Elsa turned around, tears visible on her face and just shook her head.

"You're…y-y-you're not joking?"

 _Wha..what… How…. How is this even possible? This stuff only happens in movies. Not in real life. Not to us! I can't believe it. I won't believe it._

As if sensing Anna's inner turmoil, Elsa whispered.

"I'm not joking, Anna."

Anna's face began to crumple. Tears began to well up and fall. Her breaths were shallow, as she began to hyperventilate. The lights seemed too bright, even with her clouded vision. She could feel her hands trembling. Anna could not help herself. She could only curl into the couch and weep. Her cries seemed to echo in the house, which only served to magnify her feeling of isolation. After what seemed like hours, Anna looked up from her position on the couch after her crying finally stopped. She had no idea what time it was, but did notice a singular fact.

Elsa was nowhere to found.

 _Where's Elsa? I need Elsa right now. Where is she? She must be in her room as always. She's… she's the only family I…_

She could not bring herself to finish the thought.

Anna slowly uncurled herself from the couch, wincing at sore muscles as she got up. Glancing at her phone, she noticed a slew of missed texts and calls from Kristoff and a few from Hans. She ignored them, making her way out of the living room. She felt smaller. The house itself felt imposing. The journey upstairs seemed much, much longer than normal. In no mood to eat, she made her way up. Each step was a struggle, carrying the weight of her grief. She was completely numb. It felt as if she was stumbling through a haze, unaware of everything around her. Suddenly, she noticed light coming from Elsa's door, managing to pierce through the fog in her mind. She felt her feet take her to the door instinctively. As she approached, Anna had to gather what remained of her strength just to knock on Elsa's door.

"E-Elsa? Are you there? I know that this is probably hard on you too. Definitely hard I mean. But… could I maybe spend the night with you? I just… I need you Elsa. Please. PLEASE!"

Her words that followed were soft, voice cracking from her crying earlier.

"You're all I have left. What am I… what are _we_ gonna do?"

Anna gently placed her hand on the door, silently willing it to open. When it did not, she turned around, resting her back against the door and slid to the ground. The tears came again, silently this time. In the oppressive silence, she strained to hear if Elsa would respond in any way.

The house was silent.

Anna made herself as small as possible. Hunched in the door frame, she didn't know if she was crying about her parents or over Elsa's rejection. It didn't matter. The ache in her chest felt the same regardless. Eventually, fatigue took its toll. Anna slowly pulled herself from her crouched position, using the door frame as support.

"G-g-goodnight Elsa… I… I love you" she murmured. The lack of response killed Anna. She loved Elsa, looked up to Elsa, even idolized Elsa. She meant those words from the bottom of her heart. To hear nothing was worse than any other rejection. It meant Anna wasn't even worth Elsa's time, not even now. There were things that were more important to Elsa than her own sister.

Anna made her way to her own room, using the wall as support and collapsing into bed. The doubts and insecurities which had been hiding came rushing to the forefront of her thoughts. Elsa's rejection today had cut far deeper than any of the rest. It had crushed Anna's own sense of self. She desperately needed her older sister. Elsa was the only family she had left. And Elsa would rather be alone than spend any time with Anna. That thought absolutely crushed Anna.

"I... I just don't understand" she whispered into her pillow. "Why does Elsa hate me? I mean. Mom and Dad just… And she won't even look at me!" Anna could feel a crippling hollowness pulsing in her chest. Each breath was painful.

 _Does this pain ever go away? It was lonely enough when Mom and Dad were on vacation. Now that they're… gone, I just have Elsa. A-a-and… she doesn't want me. I mean. She's so perfect. And I'm just… just Anna. She'll go back to college and I'll be alone. For good this time._

She curled into the fetal position, trying to hold herself together, though she could feel her heart splintering. No matter what she tried to do, the weight of her insecurities and loneliness pummeled her mental state into numbness. Sleep only came due to sheer emotional exhaustion. But even then, her dreams were haunted by nightmares. Every few hours, Anna would jolt awake from a nightmare. For a second, the events of the afternoon were a dream. Then reality would come crashing down again and Anna would cry. Her final thought before the morning was still somewhat hopeful.

 _Maybe Elsa is having a hard time too. Maybe… Just maybe I'll see Elsa tomorrow morning. Maybe things will be better then._


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Hey everybody. First off a huge thanks to everyone who favorited/followed and special shout out to Hihojo2000 for following my profile... which is empty... RIP. Another thanks to everyone else who just quietly reads the fic anonymously, y'all are fire too. Finally, to the reviewers who didn't want to see sisterly angst... sorry? Turn back now or read on at your own risk. I don't own jack**

 **-MMM**

Chapter 4

Anna woke up to the sound of Weezer's Island in the Sun. Jumping out of bed, she immediately recognized the reason: Mom and Dad were coming home…

And then she remembered. Her eyes were still red from constant crying. Her throat was raw and dry. Her hair was a bigger mess than usual due to her tossing and turning all night. Making her way to the bathroom, she stuck her mouth under the tap to rehydrate. She robotically made her way through her routine. Mind still in shock, she was not fully conscious of her own actions. Even if she had been, Anna was too emotionally drained to cry again. It wasn't until she made her way downstairs that she was jolted out of her numb state.

It smelled like breakfast.

Her stomach rumbled, reminding Anna that she skipped dinner the night before. She made her way to the kitchen and could not contain her bafflement. Elsa was in the kitchen, apron on, cooking eggs. There was already bacon and toast laid out on the table. She was pulled from her gawking when Elsa spoke.

"Good morning Anna. Can you set the table?"

Anna could only nod. But even in her confusion, she noticed that Elsa's eyes were bloodshot. She suddenly felt incredibly guilty about her own thoughts last night.

 _Of course Elsa took it hard. It's not all about you. Elsa lost her parents too. Well, our parents. But she's struggling. How could I be so insensitive!?_

Table set, Anna sat down in her seat as Elsa made her way over with a plate of eggs. Anna's mouth was watering but she was hesitant to dig in. She was embarrassed about her lack of grace at the dinner table. Her parents had always told her to eat slowly but she could never help herself and would eat like a ravenous wolf. Elsa noticed her trepidation.

"What's wrong, Anna? You can start eating, you know."

"Ummm yeah! I know. Just… just looking at what I want."

Elsa smiled softly.

"You don't have to be so nervous, Anna. I won't bite."

"Nervous? Who me? I'm not nervous? Do I look nervous? I'm not. Okay maybe a little. This is just weird. Not that you're weird. I'm weird."

Anna couldn't seem to stop the babbling and settled for shoving some bacon into her mouth.

"Look, I get it. I haven't been the best older sister lately. I'm sorry. I've just been so busy recently."

"N-no worries. I totes get it. I mean totally. Totally get it." Anna stuttered out.

 _This is really weird. Elsa's like, here. Like, actually here. I mean, it's great and all but… Did I guilt her into this? I'm glad she's here but I wonder if this will last. I guess I'll make the most out of it for now._

Despite her conviction, breakfast was awkward, to say the least. Anna, who had not properly spent time with Elsa for about three years, did not know what to say. Meanwhile, Elsa had always been comfortable with silence. Anna quietly moved to put her dishes away after clearing her own first, careful to not make too much noise. Unfortunately, her legendary clumsiness chose an inopportune moment to strike and she tripped as she walked towards the sink. Everything moved in slow motion. Her eyes went wide as the plate slipped from her hands. Instinctively, she flailed her hands, one to catch herself and the other to try and save the plate. Anna managed to land unscathed. Unfortunately the plate was not so lucky. It hit the ground and promptly shattered.

 _Ohmygod ohmygod ohmygod. Why did this have to happen today? Now? With Elsa here? I just wanted something to go right. That's all I could ask for. First with Mom and Dad. And then… then this happens and… I don't know what to do anymore._

Anna's nerves were already shot. She could feel her eyes starting to water. It was the first time in forever that she got to see Elsa and here she was messing up, as usual. She sat up, shakily picking up the pieces of the plate, trying her hardest to muffle her sniffles. Through her blurred vision, she noticed another pair of hands helping her pick up the pieces of ceramic. Looking up, she noticed Elsa. Sighing, Elsa put down the pieces that she already gathered.

"Oh Anna. Don't cry. It's okay. We have plenty of plates."

Anna tried to smile, but couldn't quite manage it. She was trying her hardest to not cry in front of Elsa, but she knew she was fighting a losing battle. The telltale sting of tears was becoming too much to hold in.

"Anna? Are you okay?"

 _I'm not okay. Not at all. Everything has to go wrong all at once. With mom and dad. And now Elsa. I hope Elsa isn't mad about the plate. I just want Elsa to hug me and tell me everything is going to be okay. Because it not right now._

Elsa had barely finished before Anna could not help herself. She lunged forward, wrapping her arms around Elsa's stomach and began to cry. She could feel Elsa's body tense in surprise but could not bring herself to let go. Anna desperately needed to feel something, grasping tightly like a lifeline. Suddenly, she felt arms wrapping around her shoulders. A hand moved up to stroke her hair and Elsa began to murmur into Anna's ear.

"Shhhhh it'll be okay. I know I haven't been around enough. But I'll… I'll be around more."

Anna heard the pause and felt her heart waver. But sensation of holding Elsa overrode her other considerations at the moment. For the moment, at least her pleas from last night were answered. After a few minutes, Anna's cry finally slowed to a stop. She looked up at Elsa, voice still shaky.

"S-sorry about getting your shirt dirty. I… I didn't mean to. I'm sorry Elsi… Elsa." Anna stopped herself. After three years with minimal contact, she didn't know where she stood with her sister. Normally, Anna would charge forward without a second thought. But Elsa was different. Elsa meant everything to her. She was extremely careful to always put Elsa's feelings first.

"It's fine Anna. Don't worry about it. You're more important. How are you feeling?"

"Not too hot. And I need a tissue."

"I'll finish cleaning up here. Go get yourself a tissue," Elsa added kindly.

Anna nodded. She detached herself from Elsa, rubbing her eyes as she got up. Grabbing a tissue from the dining room table, she blew her nose. As Elsa finished throwing away the broken pieces, Anna spoke up from her position next to the table.

"Ummm… Elsa?"

"What?"

"Could we um… maybe… w-watch a movie or something? Or if you're busy that's fine. You're probably busy, I mean college is more important than- "

"I'd love to, Anna."

"- and I'd want to watch cartoons or something and you are too old… Wait what? You said yes? We can watch Sound of Music? I wanna see all the little children singing 'So Long, Farewell'. Please?"

Elsa couldn't help but grin.

"But of course. Are you sure it's not because you find the captain attractive?"

"Elsa! How could you even think that?" Anna's indignation was ruined by her blush.

Elsa laughed as the two moved into the living room. Anna plopped onto the couch as Elsa found the DVD and started the movie. When Elsa sat down, Anna immediately moved towards her, snuggling into her side. Elsa wrapped her arm around Anna as the two settled into the movie. Throughout the first half, Anna could not help but sing along to every song, giggling at the antics of the children on screen. But soon enough, the movie lulled Anna to sleep. As quietly as possible, Elsa got up, placing one of the couch pillows underneath Anna's head. Elsa then grabbed a blanket off the back of the couch and made sure to cover Anna. She then turned off the T.V. and made her way upstairs, intent on getting some work done.

A couple hours had passed when Anna woke up. Blearily looking around, she rubbed her eyes, noticing the pillow and blanket. With a loud yawn, she got up, stretching her back with several audible pops. She made her way into the kitchen. Grabbing a glass, she filed it at the sink and quickly chugged it down. Properly refreshed, she started searching for Elsa.

"Hellllooooooo? Elsa? You here?"

After several moment with no reply, Anna huffed.

"She's probably in her room again, that stinker."

Making her way upstairs, she stopped in front of the door, hand poised to knock until she hesitated.

 _What if she doesn't want to be bothered? Or worse, what if she just ignores me? Why am I so nervous about this? Come on Anna. Stop being a wuss. Sheesh._

Before she could gather the courage to knock, the door opened. Elsa had her nose buried in a book and almost crashed into Anna.

"Hey Anna." Elsa's eye's went wide. "I was just about to head downstairs to check up on you. Are you feeling better after your nap?"

"Y-yeah. I'm feeling fine. Better than fine. Just absolutely peachy. And I was just passing through. Ya know, just walking here and happened to just stop in front of your door. No reason really, I mean, it'd be kinda silly if I just stopped at your door."

Anna become more and more flustered as she rambled on, eventually just shutting her mouth to stop the stream of words. The corners of Elsa's mouth quirked up a little.

"Do you need anything, Anna?"

"Only you," she muttered. Upon realizing what she just said, Anna clamped her hands of her mouth, eyes wide in shock. Anna hastily tried to apologize.

"I mean, I'm fine. Was just gonna head up and do some homework or something. You're probably busy doing college… stuff. Yeah, I'm just gonna go now…"

As she spoke, Anna was slowly backing away, inching towards her own room. Before she could turn and bolt, Elsa spoke up.

"I'm busy right now," Elsa said gently. Anna's heart dropped. "But I'll come get you when I'm done and we'll get dinner okay?" she added quickly, amending her previous sentence.

Anna's mood did a complete U-turn as she enthusiastically nodded.

"Sounds good Elsie."

Making her way towards her room, she grabbed her phone from the nightstand, noting the amount of texts from Kristoff. However, the texts from Hans caught her eye.

 **THE ONE:** Hey beautiful, how are you?

 **THE ONE:** Busy? I don't mind. Just text me when you're available.

 **THE ONE:** Hey, it's weird that you haven't responded in a day. I hope everything is alright.

Anna hurriedly texted out a response, not wanting Hans to think she was ignoring him.

 **Anna:** Hey, sorry about not answering. It's been a stressful weekend.

 **THE ONE:** No worries. I know exactly how you can make it up to me. There's a party this Friday. Come with me.

 **Anna:** Ummm I've never really been to one…

 **THE ONE:** Don't worry about it. You're with me. What could possibly go wrong?

 **Anna:** I guess. Sounds good! It's a date right?! :D :D

 **THE ONE:** Of course.

Satisfied, Anna closed the message and looked at the plethora of texts from Kristoff. The majority were worried texts asking whether or not Anna was okay. Eventually, they petered out, with one final message.

 **Reindeer Boy:** havent heard from you recently. call me.

 **Anna:** Hi. Its been a rough weekend. Sorry about not texting back.

Her phone buzzed almost immediately after sending the text.

 **Reindeer Boy:** dont worry about it. im glad that you're okay. you are okay right?

 **Anna:** I will be. Eventually

 **Reindeer Boy:** thats good to hear. what happened?

 **Anna:** Alot. I'll tell you in person

 **Reindeer Boy:** alright. see you monday then

 **Anna:** Kay.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Another chapter. Have a oneshot in the works. Planning a new fic. Just a heads up I don't post start posting till I'm mostly finished with it. Keep being awesome. Don't own jack.**

 **-MMM**

CHAPTER 5

Monday rolled around with more dread than usual. With Elsa, she could ignore everything else that happened, confining her thoughts to a happier place. But school meant Kristoff and Sven. And the two would be curious as to what did happen. Anna didn't know if she could handle the sympathetic looks from them all week. There were times throughout the weekend where grief would absolutely cripple her. It felt like a punch to the gut, making her short of breath, tears following soon after. So it came with little surprise how unenthused she was with Monday.

However, before trudging out the door, she noticed a covered plate sitting on the table with a note. Picking it up, she read Elsa's neat cursive.

 _Anna,_

 _There's breakfast on the plate. Try to eat a proper meal instead of a Pop-tart for breakfast. Have a good day a school. I'll see you tonight._

 _Love,  
Elsa_

Anna smiled. Maybe today wouldn't be as bad as she thought. Lifting the cover, she saw two pieces of toast and a small pile of scrambled eggs. Anna scarfed down the meal, shoving the last piece of toast in her mouth as she met with Kristoff and Sven. She nervously picked at the seat, avoiding eye contact. About halfway to school, Kristoff finally spoke up.

"So…"

The word hung in the air. Sven blinked. Kristoff took a deep breath. Anna grabbed her legs, curling into a ball.

"Soooo… What exactly happened this weekend?"

Anna looked down. Her hands would not stop fiddling so she sat on them.

"Um… Well… S-something happened. With m-mom. And dad."

"Oh. S-sorry to hear that. Are you okay? "

Anna tried her best to stifle her cry but couldn't. She could only shake her head.

Kristoff was taken aback.

"Hey there. It's gonna be okay. Don't cry. Please don't cry," he said softly, but with a distinct edge of panic.

He took one hand off the wheel, stretching out his arm to wrap around Anna's shoulders. She instinctively leaned in, wrapping her arms around Kristoff. Sven leaned forward, placing a comforting hand on her back. By the time they reached the school parking lot, Anna's crying had faded into a few sniffles.

"D-do you have tissues in your car?"

"Yeah." Kristoff looked at Sven, who reached back and grabbed the box from the backseat. "Here ya go." Anna nodded in gratitude. Grabbing a tissue, she blew her nose before shouldering her backpack.

"You feeling better, feistypants?"

Anna nodded. "Yeah." Mustering up a smile, she looked over to Kristoff. "Now let's get a move on before we're late!"

She walked out, throwing the tissue away in a nearby trashcan. The boys followed and the three made their way to class. After splitting up in the hall, Anna made a quick detour to the bathroom. Looking at herself in the mirror, she noticed that her eyes were still faintly red. Making sure that she still looked okay, she gave herself a pep talk before class.

 _Okay Anna. You just gotta keep it together today. Can't go around crying at school. Deep breaths. Don't cry. Conceal those tears Anna. There ya go. You go girl._

Pumping her fist to psych herself up, she walked out, attempting her best strut. The effect was ruined when she tripped over her own feet. But she was determined to fake it till she made it. Yet despite her best attempts to remain positive, the morning was absolutely terrible. Anna couldn't focus. Her mind kept wandering to thoughts of Elsa and her parents. While her most recent interactions with Elsa had been, well, amazing, thinking about her parents would send Anna's mood plummeting. The entire morning was spent keeping her head down and trying not to cry. With Elsa, she had not felt so alone. But here in school without anyone to talk to, the loneliness was overwhelming. When the lunch bell finally rang, Anna could not help but sigh in relief. Grabbing her backpack, she all but sprinted towards the lunchroom, beelining towards the two boys already seated at the table. Quickly sitting down, she pulled Kristoff into a hug, burying her face in his shoulder. Much to Anna's relief, Kristoff refrained from asking any probing questions. He gently patted her on the back.

"That bad of a morning huh? No worries, you're with us from here on out."

Releasing the boy, Anna smiled. She managed to not cry; a good, face-smushing hug was all she needed.

"Yeah. That'll be nice."

Sven pushed his customary bag of carrots across the table, offering them to Anna. She couldn't help but giggle.

"Oh Sven. I can't take all your carrots. I'll just take one."

As they ate, Hans made his way towards their table. Stopping, he smiled slightly, which came off as more sly to the boys but was lost on Anna.

"So. The party this Friday. You are coming with me, right, Anna?"

"Yeah! Of course!" Anna yelled. Blushing, she quickly lowered her voice back to indoor levels. "I'm really excited about it." A sudden thought struck her. "Can Kristoff and Sven come too?"

Hans quirked an eyebrow in surprise.

"Would they even want to come? I mean, I don't know if they'd really enjoy themselves."

The boys bristled at his comment. Both of them tensed visibly around their shoulders, but Anna was oblivious.

"They'd love to come! They're like my best friends! Come on Hans. Pleeeeaaase?"

Hans' face twisted in a momentary grimace after looking at the two boys. Turning back to Anna, he sighed.

"Alright fine, they can come, I guess. But remember, you're _my_ date for the evening."

With a parting wink, Hans sauntered off. The moment he was out of earshot, Kristoff exploded.

"What the hell was that?! He just insulted me and Sven to our faces! And you wanna go to a party with him?!"

"Kristoff, it's fine. I don't think he meant it that way. He's way too nice!"

"Nice? NICE?! He's a sleazeball. This whole party this is a ruse. He's just trying to use you! How can you not see that?"

Anna began to mentally shut down in the face of Kristoff's anger.

"Fine. Be that way! I don't get why you just can't be happy for me! You're… You're just jealous!"

Kristoff recoiled as if struck. "What?! How could you even think that?! I'm just looking out for you!"

"Well I'm a big girl Kristoff. He even invited you to the party! HE invited YOU. And you still don't like him!"

Kristoff threw his hands in the air in exasperation. "Fine. I guess this is it then. Me and Sven refuse to hang out around him. If you want to see him that bad, just leave."

Anna's eyes went wide at the ultimatum, eyes watering. She looked over at Sven pleadingly. Sven looked back with sympathy, but looked away and shook his head.

Grabbing her stuff, she took off. She managed to make it to the girl's bathroom and lock herself in a stall before bursting into tears. Everything just seemed to be so wrong. She and Kristoff never fought like that. Ever. And she had been relying on them as support since the death of her parents. Kristoff and Sven were her only real lifelines at school. Now that they were gone, she didn't know if she would even make it through the rest of the day. Hearing the bathroom open, she muffled the sound of her crying in her sleeve. The two girls who entered went to the sinks to examine their makeup, chatting away the entire time. As the girls talked and laughed, Anna collapsed onto the toilet seat, watching the two from the crack in the stall, silent tears rolling down her face. She felt her heart drop watching the friends teasing each other, remembering the argument with Kristoff. When the girls left, Anna shakily stood, leaning against the wall for stability as if all the life had been sucked from her legs. She opened the stall and stumbled to the sinks, catching herself on the counter. The girl who stared back at her in the mirror was not Anna. Her freckles marred her face. Her pigtails looked childish. Her cheeks were too fat. Each imperfection stood out; a multitude of voices mocking her, taunting her.

Splashing some cold water on her face, Anna trudged out of the bathroom and towards class, eyes red. She knew she was late. But her teacher's words seemed muffled, as if speaking from underwater. Halfway towards her customary seat, she saw a familiar pair of shoes. Looking up, she noticed both Kristoff and Sven and abruptly changed directions, bumping into the desks next to her, causing them to scrape loudly against the floor. She heard several light snickers. Wincing, she hunched, drawing her shoulders up and looking down in a futile attempt to hide. Quickly shuffling towards the vacant seat in the other corner, she plopped down, immediately burying her head in her arms. For the rest of class, she refused to make eye contact with anyone and was silent throughout. The rest of her classes passed in the same way.

When the final bell rang, Anna, trudged her way towards the buses in the back rather than heading towards the parking lot. Even though she hated taking the bus, it was still a better alternative than dealing with Kristoff. She was surrounded by primarily underclassmen, their boisterous attitudes made Anna shy. She withdrew into herself, choosing to sit at the very front of the bus, alone. The ride home was arduous. The chatter of people behind her grated in her ears, as if mocking her.

"Yeah I have soooo much homework tonight…"

"... and I told my dad, 'all my friends are going so I'm gonna go too…'"

"... and he asked me out!"

Once Anna made it home, she sprinted upstairs and buried herself in her covers. Reaching to her nightstand, she plugged her phone into her radio alarm, putting on the happiest playlist of radio hits she could find. But even the joyful tunes of Bruno Mars and Taylor Swift could not pull Anna out of the mood she found herself in. She had struggled to stay afloat all day but fell into a zombie-like haze.

Elsa was busy after doing very little work over the weekend, so she was holed up in her room the whole night. Anna felt so lost. Dinner consisted of old, microwaved pizza and was tasteless in her mouth. Homework and internet alike were unamusing. Her usual routines felt meaningless. She found herself back in bed by 8. She laid there for over an hour before finally, finally falling asleep.

The rest of the week passed in a similar form. In an unspoken agreement, Kristoff stopped coming to pick Anna up for school. She rode the bus everyday to and from school. Lunches were spent holed in obscure corners of the school, away from people. On top of that, it turned out Elsa was busy all week, so Anna barely saw her sister. It seemed like all the progress they made over the weekend was for naught. The only thing that kept Anna going throughout the week was the party on Friday. That and the occasional text from Hans, which were the only bright spots. Small messages and compliments that would make her eyes light up. They were the only ray of sunshine in her otherwise gloomy week.

When Friday finally rolled around, Anna could not contain her excitement. It was the first time since the fight that her smile was not forced. She went through her routines with more pep in her step. The entirety of school was spent staring at clocks, willing time to move faster. By the end of the day, she was practically jittering. The bus ride home was spent bouncing in her seat, ignoring the strange looks from the freshmen around her. Bursting through the front door, she noticed Elsa sitting on the couch, reading.

"Elsa Elsa Elsa guess what!?"

Elsa looked over her shoulder.

"What Anna? What has gotten you so worked up?"

"It's the day of the party! Hans asked me to go and I'm super excited! And super nervous! Maybe a little nauseous. Or is that gas? Anyways, I gotta go get ready! Gotta run!"

Anna managed to see Elsa attempt a confused smile before sprinting up the stairs. On the way up, she felt her phone buzzing. Pulling the phone out, she couldn't help but squeal at the sight of the text which popped up.

 **THE ONE** : I'll come by and pick you up at 7. Can't wait to see you.

 **Anna:** See you soon!

Making her way into the shower, Anna turned on Pandora on her phone. Her shower was equal parts washing her hair and dancing. Jumping out of the shower and grabbing her towel, she noticed the time.

"It's 4:30 already? I took too long! GOGOGO ANNA."

Phone merrily blasting away, she began rifling through her closet. The absolute fury and panic made her efforts for the coffee date seem tame. Clothes flew out of the closet, the majority missing the bed and landing on the floor. The sound of knocking snapped her out of her frenzy.

"Anna, what exactly are you doing?"

Anna stuck her head out around the closet frame.

"Don't mind me Elsa. Just panicking before a party. It's not like I'm incredibly nervous or anything. Haha nope. Cool as a cucumber. That's me. Although I'm not a cucumber."

Elsa couldn't help but chuckle at Anna's antics.

"Do you want some help with your outfit? You seem a little…" Elsa looked at the mess that was Anna's room. "Scattered," she finished.

"YES! I mean, yes please!"

Elsa sauntered over, peeking into Anna's closet. Rifling through the various articles on the rack, she eventually picked out a green summer dress with a pair of flats.

"Here. You'll look cute in this."

Anna bounded to Elsa, wrapping her in a bear hug.

"Oh thank you thank you thank you. You're the bestest Elsa!"

"I know." Winking, Elsa began to walk out, stopping at Anna's door. Shyly, she added, "Have fun tonight Anna. Be safe."

"I will!" Anna yelled as Elsa walked out. Grabbing the clothes, she quickly changed.

Properly dressed, she began on her hair, taking time to arrange it into a tight bun, adding a ribbon to top it off. Going back to the bathroom, she began carefully applying make up. She thought with a flutter in her stomach that Hans might kiss her again! Finally feeling ready to for the party, she gingerly made her way downstairs, cautiously checking before stepping to avoid any sort of Anna-accident. Rounding into the kitchen, Anna saw Elsa making food on the counter top. Elsa turned, a sandwich in hand.

"You should eat something before you go. I made your favorite: peanut butter, honey, and bananas."

"You're the best Elsa!" Grabbing the sandwich, she began chowing down, careful to eat over the counter to avoid crumbs on the dress. She spent the remaining time fretting and pacing back and forth, checking her phone every minute. Finally, 7:00 rolled around. She saw a blue convertible pulling up the driveway and heard the honking of a car horn.

"He's here Elsa! I know I asked this like a million times now but I look okay?" Elsa nodded. " Are you sure? Of course you're sure. Well here goes nothing. YOU CAN DO IT ANNA. Okay bye Elsa. I'll see you later tonight. Love you. Byeeeee!"

She bounded out the door, stopping at the sight of Hans in his car. In her excitement, she didn't notice him looking her up and down.

"Wow wow wow, THIS is your car? It's so swanky!"

Hans smirked.

"Isn't she great? Hop in."

Anna made her way to the passenger side, sliding into the car. Hans pulled out of the driveway. Anna's wave to Elsa was cut short by Hans' sudden acceleration, jerking her back into her seat.

"H-Hans maybe we should slow down? My hair won't say in the bun this way."

Hans snorted.

"Alright, I'll slow down just for you."

Anna shrank back into the seat, one hand trying and failing to keep her bun together. Looking around, she noticed that they were still in her neighborhood, albeit the richer part.

"Wait, you live in this area?"

Hans glanced over.

"Yeah, we'll be there in a street or two."

"It's walking distance. Hans, we could've walked and that would've been super romantic! Imagine, just you and me on such a lovely evening!"

Hans turned and smiled. "Yeah, but the convertible is much better way to get to the party. You don't want to miss the party, right?"

"I-I guess."

Hans drove up to a massive house, pulling into the driveway.

"Well we're here. Come on. Let's get this party started!"

With a holler, Hans sauntered towards the house, leaving Anna to follow, wide eyed, taking in her new surroundings. Opening the front door, Hans was greeted with an enthusiastic cheer. Anna trailed in behind, but everyone's attention was back to whatever they were doing earlier. Hans turned around.

"Come on, let's go get drinks. I got a buddy making some in the kitchen."

"Oh I don't really drink..." Anna's protest was drowned out as Hans pulled her towards the kitchen.

Exchanging fist bumps, Hans' friend passed two shot glasses forward, each filled with clear liquid.

"Ahhh, some shots to get us started. Here we go!"

Picking up both glasses, he handed one to Anna, who took it hesitantly.

"Drink on three. THREE!" Hans took the shot immediately, smacking his lips afterwards. Anna gulped it back, sputtering at the burning sensation in her throat. Eyes watering, she turned to Hans.

"That was awful. Who would drink that stuff anyways?"

Hans scoffed. "Awful? That stuff is great. It gets better the more you drink. Another shot?"

"N-no thank you. I'll just get some water."

"Whatever you say babe."

Hans turned back to the table where shots were already being lined up and a crowd was gathering. Anna squeezed her way out, cup of water in hand, sitting on one of the many couches in the living room. She felt out of place. Everyone seemed to already know each other. Anna, on the other hand, recognized very few faces. Even worse, she felt overdressed. Most people were in T-shirts and jeans and here she was in a dress. It was a summer dress but it still felt like too much effort. She listened to the various conversations around her, but found herself paralyzed by nerves. She occasionally caught certain people glancing over with sly smiles on their faces, but couldn't make sense of them. The night dragged on and Anna began looking for Hans. After several minutes of searching and incoherent answers from various people, she found Hans where she left him, in the kitchen. Based on his flushed cheeks, she realized that he was at least somewhat tipsy.

"Hey Hans! You wanna introduce me to your friends?" Anna shyly asked.

"I got a better idea baby." Hans' words were slurred, not the gentlemanly drawl she was used to.

"What is it, Hans?"

"How about you and me go somewhere private?" The question was combined with a salacious wink.

"Umm I don't know if comfortable with that yet…"

"Oh come on don't be such a prude come on."

Hans grabbed her arm and began leading her through the crowd and up the stairs. Along the way, she heard several whoops and wolf whistles from various people, each one making her more and more uncomfortable. They had already reached the top of the stairs by the time Anna finally freed herself from Hans' grip.

"L-look Hans." She cleared her throat. "I-I… Umm... don't really feel t-that... ready for this whole thing yet. I mean, we just met and stuff and you're super handsome but maybe wait till later?"

Hans' face morphed from a look of confusion to one of anger as her sentence went on.

"Wait till later? Wait till later!? Who do you think you are? Who do you think I AM?" He punctuated the last words with a yell. "You think you can just refuse me what I want?"

Anna began to feel the stirring tendrils of fear wrapping around her thoughts, causing her anxieties to slowly rise. The smell of alcohol on his breath was nauseating.

"N-no Hans, nothing like that, i-it's just that it feels rushed and... you're kind of drunk…"

He laughed a cold, sharp laugh.

"Of course I'm drunk. You think this is about you? That this was ever about you?"

Anna nodded hesitantly, uncertainty in her eyes.

"Well I got news for you. It wasn't. I mean come on. You hang out with the school weirdos. The only thing you got going for you is that you look okay. But even then, you can't hold a candle to your sister."

Anna's eyes went wide.

"M-my sister? E-Elsa?"

"Yeah. Elsa," he sneered. "Now she was a beauty queen. All the boys wanted to date her. But she turned 'em all down. Then you come along and I must say you're a pretty serviceable replacement. And you were just so, _so_ desperate." He chuckled to himself. "I really should thank you." Hans shot Anna a look of disgust. "It was so _easy_. Stuttering and fawning over everything I did. It was so irritating. You know how hard it was to put up with you? Half the time I kissed you so you would just stop blabbering all the time."

She could feel her eyes misting over as Hans talked and by the end of his question, a few tears had begun to fall.

"I gave you the honor of associating with me. I made you desirable. The least you could do is put out. But you can't even do that. You really are just a second rate copy of your sister."

Hans began making her way down the stairs. Her crying turned into choking sobs. Hans' words felt like shackles, keeping her rooted to the spot. As if remembering something, he turned back around.

"Oh, and your fashion sense is awful. Who wears a dress to a party?"

 _B-but Elsa said that I looked good… I should've known that she was just trying to be nice. That's what older sisters are supposed to do for their younger sisters._

"I know it was your first and all but please. Have SOME common sense. Get outta here. You've ruined my mood."

Anna needed no second bidding. She turned tail and sprinted down the stairs. She ran into a crowd of Hans' entourage, all of whom had clearly been eavesdropping. The boys were laughing uproariously, cheering as Hans descended behind her. The girls looked at her with equal parts disgust and amusement. A few gave her pitying glances, but those somehow felt worse than the laughter. Before Anna could escape the house, she heard Hans throw one last barb.

"Oh, I should mention. This whole set-up? It was a bet. So at least you're worth something. Fifty dollars, to be exact."

The words caused her to stumble, but she doggedly continued fleeing. Once the noises of the party faded, she slowed to a stop. Looking around through blurry eyes, she found her bearings and began walking home. She constantly had to stop when the sobbing would leave her breathless and hyperventilating. Anna had never felt so small, so worthless before.

She avoided Elsa like the plague. There was no way Anna's self-esteem could handle seeing her sister. The words of self-loathing made her hide away in shame.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Not really much to say. Hopefully y'all have enjoyed the story so far! Don't own jack.**

 **-MMM**

CHAPTER 6

Anna couldn't really remember getting home. Everything felt so meaningless. She was just here to play second fiddle to Elsa. Even after her sister graduated, she was still outshining Anna.

 _It makes sense. She was valedictorian, got a full ride to university... She's super dedicated and responsible. And I'm… just Anna. Plain, ordinary, foolish Anna._

Having that cloud over her head sucked the enjoyment out of life.

 _How could I do anything if the comparison to Elsa was inevitable. Not that I blame Elsa. Absolutely not. I couldn't fault her for being so incredible. But that didn't make Hans' comments any less painful._

Or true.

Even worse, she found herself hating the idea of Elsa.

 _I love her so much. But... I hate her perfection. I hate it. If it weren't for her, Hans would've just left me alone. Maybe… if she wasn't here… I could have had time in the spotlight. Maybe m-mom and dad would have noticed me more. But how can I ever measure up when she's here… Ever measure up to everything she's done..._

And so there she was, still lying in bed in the afternoon. She skipped breakfast and made herself a hasty sandwich for lunch, avoiding Elsa. The exercise was more difficult than usual, with Elsa at home for the weekend, forcing Anna to slink around the house to hide. Her backpack sat next to her desk, untouched from Friday. The room was silent and her thoughts were in disarray.

 _Yesterday was… awful to say the least. But… But what he said… I-I think. No I KNOW that it is true. And that's what hurts… Mom and Dad would be proud of Elsa for sure. But w-would they be proud of me?_

The spiral of negative thought was put on hold when she heard her phone ring. Looking at the screen, she saw Kristoff's name.

 _Crap. Now? Really? The last thing I need is Kristoff saying "I told you so". Though, on second thought, there's no way that it could possibly be worse than what happened last night._

She took the call.

"H-hello?"

Anna cursed the slight stutter in her voice.

"Anna! Hey I heard about last night! Apparently you were the star of the party! Anyways, about that… Look, I-I was an ass. I'm so so _so_ sorry. I don't know what came over me. I was... j-jealous that you were hanging out with him and ditching us. A-And I was overly judgmental... But I can't help but worry about you ya know? I mean sometimes you make some... questionable decisions and it doesn't always work out that well for you. But long story short, I'm sorry I was an ass."

When Kristoff took a moment to breathe, Anna could finally sneak in a word though Kristoff's rant. She couldn't help but smile at his bashful apology.

"Hey don't worry about it, big guy. I know you mean the best. I appreciate it."

"Whew. Glad we can put that behind us. Sooooooo... How was that party?"

The smile immediately fell.

"Ummm..."

The tears that were absent in the morning suddenly made an appearance.

"... Anna?..."

Anna tried her hardest to speak but the words were stuck in her throat. Instead, the only sound she could make were choked gasps of air.

"ANNA? Are you okay? Hey, talk to me? What happened? You okay? Talk to me Anna!?"

She could only blubber out a broken response.

"H-H-Hans... h-h-he..."

Kristoff's reply was a low growl.

"What did that bastard do? When I get my hands on him, he's gonna regret ever being born." Anna's sobs only got harder. "Anna? Hey it'll be okay. Me and Sven are on our way. You'll be okay. We're on the way."

Anna could only nod even though Kristoff could not see.

Soon enough, Kristoff's heavy, distinct knocks boomed against the door.

When the door opened, he and Sven barged into the house only to almost run into Elsa. Bewildered, Elsa cautiously stepped back while closing the door, while the two boys sheepishly took off their shoes. Elsa was the first to speak.

"Are you here to see Anna? She didn't tell me you guys were coming."

"Yeah! She called us and-"

Before Kristoff could finish, Sven elbowed him in the side, stopping his immediate response. Sven shot Kristoff a discrete glare. Elsa did not miss the interaction. Kristoff chuckled nervously.

"Funny story actually, we're just here to hang out. The usual ya know? Just the three of us. Doing fun… things?..."

Sven resisted the urge to facepalm. Elsa looked at them as if they had each grown an extra limb.

"... Alright, whatever you guys say. I think she should be in her room. I haven't seen her all day… which is strange now that I think about it… I hope she's feeling okay."

The boys nodded awkwardly as Elsa turned to go, frantic energy threatening to burst forth. The moment she was out of sight, they broke into a sprint, bounding up the stairs before stopping at Anna's door. The two shared a look of hesitation until they heard sniffling from inside the room. The two then walked in to see Anna sitting on her bed, surrounded by used tissues. After quietly closing the door, Kristoff cautiously walked up to her as if approaching a wild animal.

"Anna? We're here. What... happened?"

Anna looked up from the tissue in her hand, eyes welling up again.

"K-K-Kristoff... H-Hans... h-he..."

From his seated position on the bed, Kristoff reached over and hugged Anna. She buried her face into his shoulder and starting crying again.

"Shhh… Don't cry. Me and Sven are here. It'll be okay." As Kristoff murmured platitudes, Sven gathered the tissues scattered on the bed and floor, throwing them away in the trash can near the door.

Eventually, Anna's crying petered out, reduced to irregular hiccups. She leaned back, wiping at her eyes.

"I-I got your shirt all dirty. S-Sorry."

Kristoff snorted softly. "Don't worry about it. It doesn't matter. You feeling better?"

She hesitated slightly before nodding.

"A little bit… I guess…"

Kristoff scratched his head sheepishly.

"Umm… I-If you don't mind me asking… What happened last night?"

Anna turned away from him, bringing her knees up to her chest.

"H-He… Umm… s-said some things…"

Kristoff's reply had a definite edge.

"What. Things?"

"N-Nothing much… I don't wanna t-talk about it Kristoff…"

Sven gave Kristoff a hard look, shaking his head. Sven moved to the bed beside Anna, throwing an arm around her shoulders. Kristoff's tone became soft again.

"It's okay feistypants. He doesn't know shit. Don't believe a word he said."

Anna managed a watery giggle.

"Don't swear Kristoff. Your mom would wash your mouth with soap if she heard you."

Both boys smiled in relief that their friend was at least smiling again. At least somewhat. A sudden thought struck Kristoff.

"Wait… Elsa has no idea any of this happened, does she?"

Anna recoiled a bit.

"Of course not."

They looked at her as if she had grown a second head.

"Why not?"

"It's my problem Kristoff. Elsa's already busy with a bunch of other stuff. She doesn't need to deal with my problems too… Plus it's really embarrassing. I-I mean… nothing like this ever happened to Elsa in high school. So when she hears that it happened to me she'll get all concerned and stuff… Not that it isn't a good thing that she cares but… I want her to think I can take care of myself. That I'm not some kid just following her around…"

Sven managed to reign in his frustration. Kristoff did not.

"Anna, she doesn't think that. She just wants you to be happy. Of course she'd be worried! Elsa's just looking out for you. She noticed that she didn't see you at all today!"

Anna's eyes lit up a little.

"Really? She noticed that?"

"Of course she did! Seriously, you two are the closest pair of siblings I've ever seen." Sven punched him the in arm. "We've ever seen," he amended.

"B-But… she's always so busy with college and school work. I've barely even seen her in the past couple years… Now with mom and dad… I don't want to feel like a burden to her."

Kristoff and Sven both gaped in disbelief.

"She's busy yeah, but she's your sister! You know? The one who loves you? Like, to the moon and back and all that jazz?!"

"But even so Kris… It's… It's fine. I'll get over it. It's just dumb high school stuff anyways."

Anna's arms wrapped around her stomach as she spoke. Sensing her discomfort, Kristoff quickly changed the topic.

"I guess… You wanna play some Mario Kart?"

Anna shrugged noncommittally.

"I-Is it okay if I just watch you guys play? I'm not really in the mood to play right now."

Kristoff was quick to reply.

"Yeah! I mean yeah, of course. Do whatever you want. It is your house after all. As long as you're okay with it?"

Anna smiled. "I'm fine with it. Besides, it's hard winning _all_ the time. I'll let you have a shot at it."

Relieved to see her smiling and joking again, Kristoff took the trash talk in stride.

The trio ambled down the stairs. Settling in, Anna quietly munched on a bag of chips while watching the two play the game, missing their occasional concerned glances. It seemed that every other race was punctuated with Kristoff's, "You sure you don't want to play?" or "If you want to do something else, just tell us". Anna's reply was always the same. Watching the two play gave her a sense of normalcy, even if she knew that it was only temporary. Sure enough, the sounds of Mario Kart and Kristoff's shouts drew Elsa towards the living room.

"Come on! That turn was just bull. I hit the drift and everything!"

None of them heard Elsa walk in behind them.

"Still losing races, Kristoff?"

The three jumped at the sound of her voice, Kristoff dropping his controller in the process. Anna was the first to recover.

"H-Hi Elsa. H-How are you?" she mumbled shyly.

"I'm well. And yourself? I see Kristoff and Sven managed to coax you from your room."

"...I'm fine…"

In her haste to snuggle back into the couch, she missed the concerned look Elsa shot her direction. Elsa turned to Kristoff, the question clear on her face. Kristoff shook his head and shrugged. As much as he thought Anna was being stubborn in not telling Elsa, he wouldn't go behind her back. It was up to Anna to decide when to tell her sister. But that didn't mean that he wouldn't try to facilitate the process. He caught Sven's eye, subtling motioning to leave. Sven nodded.

After the last race ended, Kristoff put the controller down, stretching; Sven mirrored his movements.

"Well. I think it's time for us to go."

Anna glared at the two of them, knowing exactly what the two were planning. She pulled herself from the couch, hurriedly making her way in front of them.

"I'll walk you guys to the door."

When they stepped out of Elsa's earshot, Anna dropped her voice to a harsh whisper.

"What do you two think you're doing?!"

Kristoff replied in a similar tone, opening the door meanwhile.

"We're just trying to help you out. Talk to her, for goodness sake."

"Stop meddling, Kristoff!"

"It's what best friends do!" He yelled back as he walked out.

She closed the door with an audible humph, whirling around so fast she almost bumped into Elsa, who was suspiciously close.

"Whoa, Elsa." She chuckled nervously. "I didn't see you there. Almost fell. Not like that isn't unusual. I'm super clumsy. I mean, you know this. Well duh you know that, you're my sister. Why am I telling you this? Oh man. I'm babbling again aren't I?"

Elsa smiled. "Don't worry about it. So I heard about that party you went to yesterday. Someone here is quite popular it seems."

Anna giggled nervously. "H-How'd you hear about it?"

"You mentioned it at some point last week. So. How'd it go?" Elsa stood calmly, waiting for Anna's response, while Anna began to fiddle with her fingers.

 _Should I tell her? I mean, Kristoff said I should. But does she have time to deal with all my problems? Or worse, does she even care? What are you saying Anna, of course she cares. But… I don't know if I'm ready to talk about what happened… Though I don't think I'll really ever be ready… Alright Anna. Kristoff's right. You can do this! You were born ready! Well, not really. You were born crying and a mess. That's besides the point. Focus!_

Anna took a deep breath.

"Umm… Not too hot. C-Can… Can we talk about it?"

Elsa seemed to sense Anna's trepidation. "Of course. Come on. Let's sit on the couch and get comfortable."


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: I meant to post this sooner but it kept slipping my mind. Heheh oops. Anyways, we're almost at the end! Enjoy. I still don't own jack.**

 **-MMM**

Chapter 7

Anna approached the couch gingerly, as if it would attack. Elsa, holding her hand, gently guided them both towards the couch. As Elsa sat down, Anna stopped.

"Umm… I-I'm gonna go get a glass of water. It m-might be a long story a-and I don't… Ummm… Yeah!"

Flustered, she hurriedly made her way the the kitchen, bracing herself on the island counter.

 _Come on Anna. You can do this. It's Elsa. Ya know, your sister? Your favorite person in the whole wide world?! She wants to talk to you and you're hiding here in the kitchen like a coward… She's the one who asked me about it… That means she wants to listen… right? She wouldn't say it if she didn't mean it. But why would she care about my problems when she's already so busy… Would… would she even understand? What it's like being in her shadow… How can someone perfect understand me. No! Bad Anna. You can't think of Elsa that way! Just… suck it up. You can do this! Now get out there before you lose your nerve!_

With a huff, she marched out of the kitchen, almost making it to the couch before remembering that she didn't grab the glass of water. Her face flushed.

 _Crap crap crap crap. Elsa's gonna notice that I didn't get water!... Too late Anna. Just get your sorry butt out there._

Elsa heard footsteps and glanced up, seeing Anna slowly make her way back towards the couch. Much to Anna's relief, Elsa didn't notice the missing glass of water or she chose not to point it out. She joined Elsa on the couch making sure to sit at the opposite end of the couch.

 _Not that Elsa was repulsive. I just don't think I can make it through the story without bawling on Elsa and that is absolutely not happening. But that pretty much means I'm just gonna hide in my room and cry after..._

In an attempt to stop her mind for conjuring more scenarios, she spoke.

"So… uh… hi?"

A ghost of a smile appeared on Elsa's face.

"Hi Anna. There's no need to be so nervous. It's just me, after all."

"Who me? I'm not nervous. Not nervous at all. Just cool as a cucumber. That's me. Super cool. Well not really super cool. Maybe just kinda cool. Actually probably weird. And totally not babbling. I only babble when I'm nervous, which I'm not!"

She forcibly shut her mouth, teeth clicking audibly. She could feel the heat rising in her cheeks.

Elsa placed a hand on Anna's shoulder, bridging the divide. In Anna's mind, the hand seemed to trap her, binding her to the couch, preventing her escape.

"Anna… If you don't want to talk about it, we don't have to…"

Elsa trailed off. Her tone caught Anna's attention. It was hesitant. All of a sudden, it hit Anna.

 _I'm… I'm not the only one who is nervous right now! Elsa's nervous too… But why would she be… Oh, it's cause you're acting like you don't even want to be here. She's trying to be a good older sister and all you can think about is running away! No wonder Elsa's nervous. You should do your part first and be a good younger sister. And that means trusting Elsa. Plus… I think it would do me some good to get this off my chest. Really just let it go… ACK! I got caught up in my own thoughts again! Elsa probably thinks I'm crazy. Get out there girl!_

Anna blurted out.

"Nonononono. I want to talk. It's… It's just hard."

Elsa's eyes shone with sympathy."Oh Anna. Don't rush into it. Just start from the beginning."

Anna managed a sheepish smile. "That's probably a pretty good place to start. Well… It started at lunch one day…"

Elsa followed along, smiling at Anna's increasingly wild gestures. But as the story went on, her countenance grew troubled, especially whenever Anna mentioned Hans. She remembered him. The youngest of the Westerguard brothers and just as piggish. She had been at the receiving end of enough cat calls and dance proposals to know that none of them were good news. So when Anna mentioned Hans, Elsa braced herself for the inevitable heartbreak that would come.

Sure enough, Anna's gestures became more and more subdued as she continued. Her voice lost its exuberant tone. Then, Anna finally arrived at the night of the party. Elsa could feel the sinking feeling in her gut. Anna's muted tones devolved into sniffling and the story was constantly broken up by the need for tissues and hiccups. Elsa was torn. Part of her wanted to stay and comfort Anna, doing everything in her power to take away her pain. But the other wanted to find Hans and teach the jerk a lesson. The former feeling won out and she reached out to Anna, placing an arm around her shoulders.

"Shhhhh… Don't cry Anna.. Nothing he said was true. You are beautiful. Shhh..."

It was the wrong thing to say. Anna felt a sudden surge of anger. She wrenched out of Elsa's embrace, eyes flashing with fire. She stood stiffly, movements brittle and sharp.

"What would you know, huh?! How would you know what it's like not being perfect?!"

Elsa could only sputter as she quickly rose, arms stretched out in an attempt to placate her sister.

"W-What? Anna, where is this coming from?"

"Just… You just don't get it… What H-Hans said… was t-true."

Everything stopped. The weight of Anna's confession slammed into Elsa's chest, stifling any response.

Anna's voice began rising to a fever pitch.

"I mean you're so much prettier. Boys only ever talk to me because I'm just a second-rate version of you! They know it. I know it. Everyone knows it. I mean, who would ever like me? Silly Anna, who's too clumsy to walk straight. Dumb Anna, who can't even get good grades. Stupid Anna, who thinks that someone would like her. How could I even delude myself into thinking that someone could like me?! I mean, I just _ramble_. Even when I talk to you I can't help it! How can anyone want to talk to me, let alone want to spend time with me?! No texts, no calls, nothing! You clearly have more important things than your needy, worthless little sister!"

All the energy she had built up left when she exhaled. Anna chuckled but her voice was hollow.

"Even after you've graduated… I-I still can't be Anna… I'm still just Elsa's... _sister_."

Elsa was speechless.

Anna threw her hands up in frustration.

"Y-You… You know… Sometimes… Sometimes I wish that you weren't my sister! So I could have a chance to be a somebody!"

Fuming, Anna turned and stomped her way up the stairs. Her door slammed shut, echoing throughout the house. Elsa could only stand in shock. It took a full minute before she could fully comprehend the magnitude of Anna's words. It took another for their meaning to hit. Elsa fell to her knees, sobbing silently.

The events of the past weeks, her parents' passing and Anna's anger, finally caught up. The fear, the stress, the sadness finally caught up to her. Elsa had spent the past weeks putting on a brave mask for Anna's sake. Now it shattered with tears.

By the time she finished, her eyes were red and the tissue box on the coffee table was empty. She had maneuvered herself to lean against the couch at some point.

Anna had not left her room.

Elsa shakily stood to her feet, using the table to stabilize herself. At this point, it didn't matter whose fault it was. All she knew was that she had to make things right with Anna. How, she had no idea. But for those three college years, Anna had always reached out to Elsa, either through text or Facebook. When Elsa was home, Anna would always knock on her door; sometimes asking to hang out, other times to bring her some chocolate or other treat. Anna never forgot to wish Elsa good night. Mustering her courage, Elsa made her way upstairs and stopped in front of Anna's door.

Despite her emotional turmoil, some part of her brain couldn't help but note the irony. Here they were, positions reversed. The door seemed larger from this side. It was the first time Elsa had seen it closed. Elsa raised her arm, and for the first time, knocked on Anna's door.

Silence.

Hesitant, she knocked again.

"A-Anna? I-I didn't mean to make you mad. Please come out. Or just talk to me?" she pleaded.

A beat of silence.

Hints of frustration slipped into Elsa's voice."Come on Anna. You know I would never intentionally hurt your feelings. Anna, I'm sorry. Please forgive me?"

"Go away Elsa."

Elsa stumbled back, as if struck. She could not remember a time when Anna had been mad enough to shut her out. But before her mind could fully give in to despair, the strand of courage she had plucked up earlier made another appearance. If Anna could unfailingly show love and devotion through a closed door, so could she. She sat down, back towards the door, resting her head against the wood, eyes closed. She didn't know if Anna would listen. But, after letting the silence settle, she spoke. Her words were shaky at first, but quickly gained strength in her quiet conviction.

"You know… When I first started college, I really did want to stay in contact. I promised myself that I would try to text everyday. But, to be honest, I kinda got… overwhelmed by college. You know me, I don't handle new people very well. And that many of them? I-It was one of the hardest weeks of my life. My grades were slipping. I didn't go to study groups or office hours. I spent a lot of time hiding in my room. My roommate would go out and party and I was just that loser sitting in my dorm, reading. I didn't know what to say to you. There was nothing interesting in my life worth talking about. Then mom and dad started stressing grades and it all went downhill from there. I mean, I was valedictorian in high school and now I was failing college classes."

Elsa heard a slight shift which caused her to pause. She stretched out her legs and pressed on.

"Things got better when I met Olaf and Marshmallow, sorry, Marshall." Elsa couldn't stop the small chuckle.

Anna smiled slightly from behind the door.

"Olaf calls him Marshmallow and the name stuck for me too. I was excited to talk to you again. But… I was afraid. T-The… The one thing I never wanted to do was hurt you Anna… And I…" Elsa's voice fell to a whisper.

"I didn't… don't think I can handle you being mad at me. I thought you would be mad that I never texted or called or anything. T-Then summer came around and dad told me to take summer classes. The longer it went on, the more scared I became. Before I knew it, so much time had passed. I was so _stupid_. I was so afraid of hurting you that I didn't realize that I already had…"

She had to stop. She took a deep breath, letting it out with a shudder.

"Anna. I… I'm so, so sorry…"

Elsa trailed off, mainly because she was falling. The door which she had been leaning on had apparently been opened. But her fall was stopped abruptly by a pair of arms wrapping around her sternum. She felt Anna's face pressing into her shoulder, tears wetting her shirt. Despite crying into Elsa's shoulder, Anna managed to make herself somewhat understandable.

"E-Elsa. I'm so sorry. I-I was s-such a b-brat to you and now you're being nice a-and…"

A few stray tears made their way down Elsa's face. But she wore a small smile.

"Oh Anna, come here."

She gently lifted Anna's head from her back and turned around, letting Anna burrow into the hug. Their crying quieted and both sisters were content to sit and bask in each other's company. Anna looked up at Elsa, eyes still watery.

"You really are a stinker."

Elsa couldn't stop her eyebrows from raising a fraction. "Oh?"

Anna smiled softly.

"I could never be mad at you. Just… don't shut me out again, okay, Elsie?"

Elsa tightened her grip.

"I won't. Never again."

"Promise?"

"Promise."


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Well this is it. Nothing much to say other than thanks to everyone who read the story. I will probably publish a one shot sometime in the future but otherwise I'll be quiet. School and such. Anyways, I don't own jack.**

 **-MMM**

Chapter 8

Things did not immediately go back to normal. But Anna couldn't really have asked for better. Elsa was still somewhat distant but she was trying. They fell into a routine. Most nights, Elsa and Anna would trade off on making dinner, with the other doing the dishes after. They ate and made sure to do something together, usually a movie or a board game. Then homework and bed. It wasn't glamorous. But Anna never wanted glamour. This quiet domesticity was more than enough for her. She had Elsa back, after all.

Even better, Elsa was opening up to her! It came as a surprise, really. It was all in the small things. The turning point in their relationship came completely unexpected. The week after their confessions was awkward, to say the least. The two were walking on eggshells, neither knowing how exactly to cross the divide between them. It wasn't until the Thursday after that they finally managed to break through.

The three were gathered for their weekly Thursday Throwdown and had barely started their first race when Elsa walked in. Anna was too focused on the race to notice until Elsa spoke.

"Is there still a spot open for the returning champion?"

On screen, Yoshi proceeded to swerve off Koopa Cape. Yet Anna didn't notice in her shock. She didn't notice she was staring until Elsa started shifting her feet nervously and Sven quietly cleared his throat. Kristoff facepalmed. Anna came to her senses.

She sputtered out. "Y-Yeah. I mean reigning champion might be too bold since I'm better but of course! There's always room for you Elsie!"

Anna scrambled, well, rolled off the couch to grab the other Gamecube controller, which she knew Elsa preferred. In her haste, she somehow managed to get tangled in her own Gamecube cord and both Anna and her controller tumbled to the ground in a clatter. Elsa managed to hide her giggling behind her hand, but the boys guffawed from the couch. Anna would have glared at them if she hadn't been busy fangirling over how cute Elsa's laugh was.

Anna managed to disentangle herself and handed Elsa the controller. She turned and looked at Kristoff from his position on the couch.

"What?"

Anna kept staring, jerking her head to the left meaningfully.

"Really? You serious right now?"

She kept glaring.

"Ugh fine. Just this once. Don't get use to it."

He got up, moving to the armchair on the right. Anna happily returned to her corner, patting the recently vacated spot.

"SIt here Elsie!"

Elsa raised a brow in amusement at their antics. However, she obliged, lifting Anna's legs and setting them on her lap. Turning to Kristoff, she couldn't help the smug tone from creeping into her voice.

"I presume last place is exiled from the couch then?"

Kristoff gaped before catching himself and blustered.

"Ha. So your future seat then? Don't worry your majesty, I'll warm it for you."

Elsa smirked. "Talk is cheap. Let the racing speak for itself."

Kristoff didn't leave the chair all afternoon. By the end, it looked suspiciously like he was pouting. Elsa, naturally, had managed to snag first in the majority of the races. Normally, Anna would have been pouting alongside Kristoff but she was still too enamoured by the presence of her sister to mind.

After that Thursday, Anna's relationship with Elsa finally fell into place. The good-natured joking and teasing finally made an appearance. Anna felt closer to Elsa than she ever had been before. Home was now actually home. A safe haven. Which was a welcome change, especially since school had only gotten worse since the Hans incident.

No one bullied her directly. But her distinct lack of social circles outside of Kristoff and Sven became more pronounced. Passing periods were spent rushing to class, avoiding the snickering and pointing of her classmates. Their usual lunch table had been taken by Hans, so lunch was spent sitting in the art hallway. Anna was not one to confront Hans for this. But Kristoff and Sven were. During a Saturday hangout at the mall, Kristoff pulled Elsa aside while Sven distracted Anna at the chocolate store.

"Alright, we have a mutual problem."

Elsa looked confused. "We do?"

Kristoff nodded. "Hans."

Her eyes narrowed, countenance hardening instantly.

"Him. Anna told me what happened."

"Did she tell you what's happening at school?"

"What?!" Elsa could not help exclaiming.

"Shhhhhh. Anna doesn't want me to tell you."

Elsa dropped her voice to a harsh whisper.

"Why not? If it's bothering her then why didn't she tell me?"

Kristoff hesitated. "Uhh… W-Well it because it's not really a problem per se…"

"Explain."

"Well Anna doesn't think it's a big deal. But someone really needs to teach that asshole a lesson. And… Well… Never mind."

"Kristoff. Tell me." Her tone brooked no argument.

"You see… uh… well, you're the scariest person I could think of…"

Elsa just stared at Kristoff. As the silence dragged on, he was more convinced that he should just turn tail and run. He was about to apologize when Elsa managed to respond.

"Umm…"

Kristoff had never seen Elsa so unsure. Apparently backhanded compliments were super effective. Who knew.

"Thanks? I guess. I mean it's flattering, in a weird power fantasy scenario. Not really my cup of tea but some people like that. I dunno."

 _And now Elsa's rambling. Pretty soon Anna's gonna become responsible and it will officially be opposite day._

"Anyways!" Her exclamation broke his internal monologue. "How do you propose we teach this Hans a lesson?"

"We corner him in an alley and beat his ass?"

Elsa sighed. Men. Such brutes.

"As… satisfying as that would be to witness, I don't think violence is necessarily the answer. We have to inspire enough fear so he will leave Anna alone."

Kristoff merely gave her a look.

"What?"

"And you wonder why you're the scariest person I know."

"I… I-It's Anna! And I'm her older sister! I'm supposed to protect her!"

Kristoff continued to look unimpressed. She was less terrifying when she was a cliched older sister. And when not angry at him.

"Humph. I don't need your approval anyways. Back to Hans."

Before Kristoff could speak, a wild Anna barged in, tackling Elsa with a hug, Sven following after, face red from exertion.

"Elsaaaaaaaaaa! Look look look! The chocolate store over there has, like, every flavor you can imagine! Well not EVERY flavor but a million. Like this one, it has chiles in it! Like who even thought of that…"

Elsa smiled and laughed along with Anna while Kristoff talked to Sven.

"She really wore you out, huh?"

Sven, slowly regulating his breathing, nodded.

"Can't say I really remember the last time you've ran that hard. Time to start cardio."

Sven glared through his mane of hair.

"True enough. I'd probably be just as tired if I had to distract her. Especially around chocolate. It's just fuel for the fire."

Sven sighed wearily. Anna managed to contain her rambling and the two sisters regarded Kristoff and Sven with suspicious eyes.

"What?" Kristoff said defensively.

Anna couldn't help but giggle. "I still don't understand how you manage to communicate with Sven."

Elsa shot the two boys a sly glance before addressing Anna's question. "It's probably best that way. Wouldn't want you being corrupted by a _boy_ , of all things. Savages, all of them."

Laughing, they walked off towards the parking lot as Kristoff gaped. Sven had to pull him out of his offended daze to catch up to the sisters. All in all, it was a productive trip to the mall. Relatively speaking. Kristoff and Elsa still had to figure out how exactly they would find Hans, but luckily, coincidence lent a helping hand.

Elsa had come to pick up Anna from school. She was idling in the parking lot, absentmindedly playing Angry Birds, occasionally muttering hateful words when a bird missed its target. When she heard the bell ring, she looked up. Lo and behold, there stood Hans and his group loitering at the front of the school. No doubt they were looking to make trouble and Anna would be walking out of those doors soon. Elsa would not stand for this.

She exited the car, slamming the door harder than necessary. She strode forward, fixing her glare at Hans. Before she could reach him, Hans noticed her. Smirking at his friends, he turned to meet her approach. With a charming smile in place, he spoke.

"It's lovely to see you again, Elsa! It really has been too long. Miss me much?"

Elsa struggled mightily to contain her grimace. She minced no words. "I need to talk to you privately."

Hans' smirk only grew wider, spreading his hands and chuckling. "Woah there, calm down there. No need to rush. I get it, I'm irresistable. Now, normally there's a date before we go one-on-one but I get that some people just can't wait." The group behind him sniggered, one person blowing a wolf whistle.

As they were walking away, Hans yelled to his friends. "No need to wait for me. I'll catch up later." The group erupted in raucous cheering.

Elsa paid them no mind. She made her way behind one of the many trees planted in the front of the school, making sure Hans was following.

"Well, I never thought you of all people would be so forward."

Elsa finally snapped, whipping around and shoving Hans against the tree, hands grabbing his collar. She took malicious pleasure in his audible "Oof!" as his back hit the rough bark. He struggled to catch his breath.

"What - what was _that_ for? And get your hands off of me!"

Elsa's tone dropped, demeanor going ice cold.

"Alright, listen up. You pigs are going to leave Anna alone. That means you don't talk to her, look at her, or even _think_ about her. Got it?"

Hans' bravado had yet to be squashed. "And why would I do that?"

Elsa leaned in. "Because if you don't, I will make it my personal mission to make your life _hell_. Which would start by shaving off your ridiculous sideburns and all of the over-gelled mop you call hair on your head."

He scoffed but her tone of voice was starting to unnerve him. "You can't be serious? L-Let go of me."

As if on cue, Kristoff materialized behind both of them, a can of shaving cream, razor, and scissors in hand. He placed the items on the ground. "Someone called for a barber?"

The two had decided that shaving Hans bald would be an appropriate punishment. When she spotted Hans from her car, Elsa had sent Kristoff a text. Kristoff had been stashing all the supplies in his locker for the past two weeks, waiting for the perfect moment to strike.

At the sight of the scissors, Hans' face paled visibly. "Get away from me. Y-You can't do this. It's gotta be illegal or something. I'll do whatever you want."

Elsa sighed. "I would love to believe you, Hans. But I don't think you've really learned your lesson yet." She turned her head, holding her hand out expectantly. "Scissors, please." Kristoff handed them over and grabbed Hans' arms, pinning him against the tree.

"Please, anything but the sideburns. Do you know how long it took to grow these out!? Come on, I'm begging you. Kristoffer, don't do this to me!" His voice took on a whining tone.

"It's Kristoff you idiot. And Elsa, Sven wants you to hurry up, Anna's getting impatient."

Elsa nodded and went to work. She smeared shaving cream across his face, using his designer shirt to wipe her hand. Wielding the scissors, she started cutting as much hair as she could off the left side of Hans' face. The idiot would not stop thrashing and yelling. The result was a messy, uneven patch of red stubble and shaving cream. Hans was furious.

"You've done it now assholes! I'll get you guys back if it's…"

Kristoff punched him in the nose. "Shut up already, jeezus."

Elsa went to work on his hair, randomly cutting. Stepping back to admire her handiwork, she pulled her phone and snapped a quick photo. By now, a small crowd of students had gathered, each pulling out phones and muttering amongst themselves.

"Hey isn't that Kristoff?"

"Who is that girl with him?"

"That's Elsa! She was valedictorian a couple years back I think."

Job finished, Elsa gave Kristoff the scissors, who threw them into a plastic bag with the shaving cream and razor. The two walked off towards Elsa's car, leaving Hans behind, one hand covering his now stubble and the other trying to stop his bleeding nose. Kristoff put the bag in his backpack. They could hear Anna yelling at them from the parking lot.

"Oh my goodness, come ON. You two are so slow. Me and Sven have been waiting here for hours. HOURS. Right Sven?"

Elsa laughed, her face losing its hard lines and falling into an easy smile. "Sorry Anna, we had to take care of some business."

"Humph. Why'd it take so long you stinker come onnnnnn. I've spent a day here already. I don't wanna spend any more. Leggoooooooo."

Elsa chuckled. "Alright Anna, let's go. Come on."

Anna stopped for a moment. Kristoff and Sven were already getting into the backseat. "You know why I wanna hurry, right?"

Elsa cocked her head in confusion. "No idea."

Anna replied off-handedly. "Cause you're my favorite person. And I want to spend as much time as I can with you. You're… You're my hero, Elsa, and I just wanted you to know that."

Elsa was at a loss for words. She stepped forward, wrapping Anna in a hug. "Oh Anna… I… I don't know what to say…"

Anna's smile brightened. "You don't have to say anything, Elsa. Just being here is enough for me."

The moment was promptly ruined by a car horn, causing both of them to jump. They turned to see Kristoff's sheepish face leaning over the center console.

Elsa tried to be annoyed but was too distracted by Anna's laugh.

"Looks like we've spent too much time goofing off. Come on Elsa. Let's go home!"

Elsa smiled. Home is wherever the heart is. So where Anna went, Elsa would gladly follow.

"Yeah. Let's go home."


End file.
